Pulsed Arc Molecular Beam Deposition (PAMBD) Tool for High Quality Films and Coatings

In the Phase I SBIR effort, AMBP Tech developed a new film deposition technology, Pulsed Arc Molecular Beam Deposition (PAMBD). This new approach to depositing films offers substantial advantages over many existing deposition technologies. We propose to optimize and perfect this technology in a Phase II effort. We will use strategic Collaborations (some providing in-kind services and some providing cash funding) to demonstrate that PAMBD produces superior quality films at economical costs for commercial applications. During the Phase I program a prototype PAMBD source was successfully constructed and tested, depositing a variety of different film types. In this technique, an electrical discharge pulse generated the plasma plume of the material to be deposited and a synchronized gas pulse thermalizes the arch-generated flux and helps direct it to the deposition surface. The resulting material is expanded (optionally through a nozzle) to form a pin-hole and particulate free film that is uniform in thickness and composition, as required in thin film applications. The Phase II program will be devoted to engineering this technique into a viable production technology for thin films, with a focus oxides, nitrides and carbides for rapid commercialization in semiconductors, optics and tribological applications.